Arsenal have joined the race to sign Kim Min-jae as Manchester United are closing in on him.
Kim’s stock has been soaring. Since arriving in Napoli’s colors last summer for €18.05 million, he has solidified the team’s defense with little to no acclimatization.메이저사이트
He made history. Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years, dominating their rivals and capping a stunning season by reaching the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time ever.
A number of clubs have been keeping tabs on Kim. The likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have all been linked with the player at one point or another. A buyout of around 50 million euros ($71.3 billion) seems like a bargain for a center back who has dominated Serie A.
The most heavily linked team is Manchester United. Leading local media outlets in Naples, such as Kiss Kiss Napoli and Il Martino, have already reported that United are in talks with Kim Min-jae and have predicted that he will leave Napoli this summer.
And for good reason. United have built a formidable central defense combination of Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez this season, but have struggled to stabilize at the back when they’ve been out. With Varane’s age at 30 and increasingly frequent injuries, a potential replacement is also needed.
Transfer experts have also tipped Kim Min-jae to join United. According to Fabrizio Romano, a journalist familiar with the European soccer transfer market, “United are really interested in Kim Min-jae. They have been in contact since November. But they can’t trigger a buyout right now,” he said, predicting that the Red Devils will bring him back via a release clause as soon as July arrives.
Britain’s ‘The Sun’ put all these reports together and reported on the 26th (KST), “Man United are close to signing Kim Min-jae. They are willing to pay a buyout clause of 40 million pounds (about 657 billion won) that will be activated in July,” and said that Kim is the main target of manager Eric ten Hagh.
The UK’s Mirror also reported that “Kim Min-jae is close to agreeing a move to Manchester United. Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Napoli defender Kim Min Jae, who has hinted he is preparing for a move to Old Trafford.”
This is where Arsenal comes in. The Gunners were in contention for the title this season behind the performances of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, but Saliba’s injury saw the team falter, and they eventually lost out to Manchester City at the top of the table, ending their dream of winning the title for the first time in 19 years.
Mourinho is looking to build on that next season with a solid center back. On the 26th, the British ‘Express’ reported, “A battle between Arsenal and Manchester United has broken out for Napoli’s feared ‘best center back’ Kim Min-jae. Arsenal are considering Kim as an ideal reinforcement,” and reported that Arsenal have entered the race to sign Kim.
The Gunners are also planning to sell their central defense resources. “Arsenal have chosen Kim Min-jae as a replacement for Rob Holding,” said the British ‘The Boot Room’ on the 26th. Holding has been playing for Arsenal since 2016, but has been limited by frequent injuries and a lack of quality as a starter.
England’s interest in Kim has been growing. The transfer market is heating up around Kim Min-jae as another UCL club, Arsenal, has joined the fray.